To See & Do
Must See, Must Do
- Never miss out on the sweets. Though Bengali sweets are available all over India, nowhere do they taste as they do in Kolkata. And it's sheer blasphemy if you leave with out trying the delectable Mishti Doi at Mouchak, (rich, sweet yoghurt) and the gud ka sandesh.that's made only during the months of November to march.
- Ride on the Tramcar: Take a piece of history to live by before it disappears. The trams are the last of the kind in India. It might be hard on your back, but it's definitely worth it. You will have something to rave about to your grandkids!
- Have a cuppa at the Coffee House: The Coffee House is a tradition by itself in Kolkata. Satyajit Ray used to have his brainstorming sessions here. Take in the atmosphere in the Coffee House at Calcutta University as people passionately debate politics, the Revolution, fashion, etc., over cha (tea) and singaras (samosas). It is the meeting place for the intelligentsia of Kolkata, especially students and teachers.
- Visit College Street: This is for the bibliophiles. It is a reader's paradise. Crisscrossed by tram lines College Street is lined with bookstalls that display a bewildering variety of books crammed in every conceivable place. Books ranging from bestsellers to an ancient copy of the Upanishads can be bought at reasonable prices. If you are looking for a book, chances are you will find it here.
- Ride on the metro: Also known as the Underground, this is Kolkata's pride and joy.
- Stroll along Park Street: Kolkata's most happening place, there are restaurants galore this side of town.
- Have your just desserts at Flury's, its one of the best places for cakes and pasteries.
- Visit the flower market, the Mallick Ghat Flower market, a partly closed, partly shaded area under the Howrah bridge on the Kolkata side.
- The puja mandal's where the lighting is done by artists of Chandannagar.
- Have the local Mudi (rice puffs), these are served here is a local mix with lots of masala, onion, chillie and other great stuff.
- The local art of alpona, a special form of floor decoration with rice floor, sindhor or alta.
- Buy yourself a dhoti and kurta with the buttons on one side?a very Bengali look.
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Historical |
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The Maidan
When Robert Clive cleared an area in the jungle to create this green lung, he had not reckoned that this would be among the largest city parks in the world. It is 400 hectares large and 3 kms from north to south. Don't try to walk across if you are not a fitness freak! Incidentally this park is larger than New York's Central Park. The best time to come here is, first thing in the morning, where you will see frantic walkers, yoga addicts doing their thing, the West Bengal mounted police exercising and the golden oldies sitting by watching the sun shower its first rays on the memorial.
Victoria Memorial and Fort William
This is the most interesting building in the Maidan. Set against the backdrop of extremely well cared for and well manicured lawns, the Victoria memorial is built with marble of the same source as the Taj Mahal. Get here by dusk, its an awesome sight, if you have the time peep in check out the miniature of Fort William, the closest you will ever get to the fort and the piano Queen Victoria played as a child, in fact the structure is a memorial for Queen Victoria. Another interesting part of the memorial is the Calcutta gallery, a collection of paintings that depict the history of the city.
Make sure you enjoy the sound and light show held here every day of the week, save Mondays. The dancing fountains are a must see. A note of caution though the timings of the show vary according to the season, from March to September it's at 7.45 pm and October to February at 7.15pm Just beyond the memorial is the Red Road that leads to Eden gardens, its believed that in World War II this road was used as an air strip. Under it is Fort Williams, the headquarters of eastern command, most of it underground.
The Writers Building
This place simply needs no introduction. Imperial and gothic in appearance, this building that has seen the rise of colonizers and communists is now an acknowledged heritage site. This is one of the key monuments in Dalhousie square.
The entire block here is full of some interesting buildings, there's the General Post Office (GPO), Raj Bhavan, Town Hall, High Court and St John's Church and also a very interesting building with an even interesting story that lies at the far end of where red road ends, it's the corner building, opposite Raj Bhavan. This is a building with 999 windows, its believed that the architect challenged anyone else to fit in the 1000 window in complete symmetry. Not one could do it. Its an awesome sight.
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Museums |
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Asiatic Society
The first modern museum of India set up in 1814, today it has a modest collection of Tibetan tangkha paintings and a Ashokan rock edict, The library inside has approximately 20000 volumes inclusive of 8000 rare Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindi manuscripts. It is also rich with archaeological relics, geological and ethnological specimens, if you are a museum addict this is simply a must see. The museum is open 8 am-7 pm, Monday to Friday.
Indian Museum
Locals call it the jadu ghar (house of magic), why and how it has got this name is a mystery, someone still has to crack that ! but this place has by far the richest collection of coins 50,000 of them. Believe it or not the museum houses 60 galleries within it, has a 4,000 year old Egyptian mummy, has a fine set of Pala statues and interesting examples of Buddhist Gabdharian art and Kalighat pats (painting) that apart it is one of the best examples of Italianate architectural styles. You really can't miss this one, it's a stone throw away from Victoria memorial on Sudder street.
The timings are 10 am-5 pm, all days except Mondays.
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Religious Places |
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Dakshineswar Kali Temple
This is a temple with a strange story, legend has it that the temple was built by Rani Rashmoni who was instructed by the Deity to build this temple, instead of traveling long distances to go pay her respect to the goddess. The Rani immediately bought 25 acres of land and built the temple in 1855 spending 9 lakhs. Unlike other temples, the uniqueness in this lies in its 9 spires as opposed to 5 pinnacled ones seen in Kolkata. 12 other temples dedicated to lord Shiva surround this temple. What is interesting is the statue here the goddess Kali stands on the prostate body of lord Shiva lying on a silver lotus with a thousand petals. The temple's most famous resident was Sri Ramakrishna, the Bengali mystic who was also Swami Vivekananda's guru. This is clearly the landmark of Kolkata but has now become extremely busy and yes commercial too. Despite this, it is a must visit.
Belur Math
On the banks of the Hooghly is the Math and the Ramakrishna Temple, built in 1899. The Ramakrishna mission runs among other things, an art college, an industrial school and a charitable dispensary. Time your visit to catch the sundown arati, very moving! You can take the bus from Howrah station bus 51,54, 56. The temple is open 6.30 am-11 am, 3.30 pm-7 pm, daily.
St Paul's Cathedral
Standing to the east of the Victoria memorial is this awesome church with the best stained work glass you may ever come across in India. It is the best place to visit when you are down and out or just want to get away from the pollution, traffic, noise of the city. Perfect for quiet moments by yourself.
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Festivals |
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Durga Puja (September-October):
If there is one festival that brings this bustling city to a halt, it is this festival. Artisans are booked off well in advance, tailors are neck down in work, women are on a buying spree it's a rush of colours, of sentiments and religious fervor. Kolkata loves to celebrate life. Huge pandals are created over nothing, schools are shut down, all you see all over is smily faces and nadu a sweat meat made out of grated coconut stir fried with sugar or jaggery and then shaped into balls. Should you want to travel to Kolkata during this time, please book your ticket well in advance, the mandals to check out are those at Jodhpur park, Maddox Square, College Square and the Ballygunge cultural association and a must visit to Kaligunge.
Ganga Sagar Mela (January):
Lakhs of devotees from all parts of India throng to the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal for a holy dip on the day of Makar Sankranti. A very special kind of sweat meat is made at this time called Pitha which can be loosely compared to pancakes. These are stuffed with various ingredients which give it its name. like ashkey pithe is supposed to be eaten dipped in melted date jaggery.
Winter (December-January) is one continuous stream of fairs - industrial, art, textiles, and leather. Then, there are book fairs, drama festivals and film festivals. Of note is the Dover Lane Festival featuring all-night Indian classical music concerts.
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